The UIL, in conjunction with the Texas High School Coaches Association, will require high school and middle school football coaches across the state to receive training in tackling techniques beginning with the 2018-19 school year.

The initiative makes the UIL, which governs public-school athletic competition in Texas, the first such organization in the United States to mandate a tackling certification program on a statewide level. The training will be administered by Atavus Sports, a Seattle-based company that focuses on tackling techniques and tackle data analysis, with the goal of making the sport safer.

"The game is changing, and we have to be willing to change with it," THSCA executive director D.W. Rutledge, a former Judson football coach, said in a news release. "Preventing injuries is paramount for all coaches and players, and we felt that as an organization it was our duty to seek out the best possible solutions to keeping our players safe."

Coaches can complete their tackling certification by receiving on-site training at the annual THSCA convention scheduled for July 22-24 in San Antonio. An online version of the course also will be available beginning April 1, 2019.